Majid Al Futtaim announces its participation in World Travel Market 2017

Dubai, UAE : Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, has announced its participation in World Travel Market 2017. The group will occupy a special booth in a centralised area of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) stand at the exhibition.

Majid Al Futtaim’s unique integrated retail, leisure and entertainment model will be in focus, with the iconic Mall of the Emirates being highlighted and promoted as a prominent example of the group’s integrated destinations and of Majid Al Futtaim’s stance as industry leader.

Through its integrated retail, leisure and entertainment destinations, Majid Al Futtaim has played a salient role in elevating Dubai’s appeal as a leading tourism destination. Since creating the City Centre concept in 1995, and launching Mall of the Emirates in 2005, the group has pioneered the retail and hospitality landscape across the region. Majid Al Futtaim’s vision of creating great moment for everyone, everyday, through its destinations, is in line with Dubai Tourism’s vision of further elevating the emirate’s profile on a global level and boosting visitor numbers.

Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, Managing Director for Majid Al Futtaim Shopping Malls (UAE, Bahrain & Oman) said, “We are proud to showcase Mall of the Emirates at the World Travel Market, as a prime example of Majid Al Futtaim’s unique and highly successful integrated retail, leisure and entertainment model. Since opening its doors just over a decade ago, Mall of the Emirates has delighted millions of customers through its world-class retail, dining, entertainment and hospitality offerings. Over the years, we have evolved Mall of the Emirates to address our customers’ growing needs and expectations, through milestone achievements such as the AED1 billion redevelopment of the mall. We’ve also introduced innovative solutions including Hands-Free Shopping to enhance our customers’ experiences.”

Khalifa Bin Braik, Head of Asset Management, Hotels at Majid Al Futtaim – Properties said, “At Majid Al Futtaim, we take pride in our role as a leading hotel developer and asset manager in the region and continue to invest in properties that create innovative, intelligence driven customer experiences. We are excited to be a part of a rapidly evolving travel and tourism market and contributing to the growth and development of an industry that continues to grow ever more customer centric. World Travel Market gives us the perfect opportunity to come together with our partners at Mall of the Emirates to once again showcase the power of an integrated value proposition and the collaborative efforts to craft developments and initiatives to offer our guests and visitors access to world class attractions, amenities and services. Our pioneering approach gives us a distinct competitive advantage in this domain and directly reflects Dubai Tourism’s aspirations of promoting the city as a top tourism destination.”

Majid Al Futtaim’s participation in the World Travel Market 2017, will enable it to leverage Dubai Tourism’s international network in marketing and promoting its unique offerings to an international audience and to raise awareness about its integrated destinations. The event also represents an important platform for
Majid Al Futtaim to connect and forge strategic ties with key stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry including travel agents, online travel agents (OTAs) and tour operators from international as well as feeder markets.

Mall of the Emirates is the region’s primary shopping resort and flagship luxury destination with over 630 local and international brands, 250 stores exclusively dedicated to fashion and accessories and two 5-star hotels; the Kempinski Mall of the Emirates and Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates Hotel, adjoining the mall. In addition, Mall of Emirates’ hospitality offering encompasses hotels of all-star categories to ensure that we cater to the needs of each of our customers. These include the 2-star Ibis hotel, the 3-star Novotel and the 4-star Hilton Garden Inn.

The integrated destination provides world-class attractions, including Ski Dubai - the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort and snow park, VOX Cinemas - the largest cinema ever built in the Middle East, a Magic Planet, the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre and more than 100 international restaurants and cafés. Each year, the mall welcomes over 42 million visitors who are attracted to its offering of premium hospitality, shopping, entertainment and dining offers, all under one roof. Most recently, Mall of the Emirates introduced the Business Pop Up Lounge, to extend a value add experience for visitors to the mall. Reserved exclusively for tourist groups, the space is is free of charge and caters to all business related needs to stay connected, including iPads, lounge staff and meeting spaces.

World Travel Market 2017 will see Mall of the Emirates come together as strategic partner with DTCM for the second year running; to further position the mall as a global shopping resort and luxury destination. As the UAE tourism market contributes towards a large part of the malls’ business, Mall of the Emirates together with its hotel, leisure and entertainment partners will use the platform to highlight the mall’s world-class offering.

The World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel and hospitality, will be held in London from the 6^th to the 8^th of November 2017. Majid Al Futtaim’s special booth will reside within DTCM’s stand in the Middle East section of the exhibition.